BRDCST is AB’s outstanding indoor spring festival spotlighting musical boundlessness. The name is a direct reference to the retro futuristic electronica-pop of the English band Broadcast that released inspiring albums like ‘Haha Sound’ and ‘Noise Made By The People’ over the past decade. Artists who feel strongly about musical innovation form the focal point for BRDCST. Our musical gut feeling will do the rest.

Contemporary classical – often described as new classical or post-classical – is in fact classical music, though interwoven with electronic sounds and often field recordings …and thus perfect stuff for BRDCST. Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds recently had Uncut note that ‘We’re bringing a punk ethos into the classical world’. Rightly so, and noteworthy too: a number of artists from this scene were recently embraced by Deutsche Grammophon: the oldest classical music label in the world.

HAUSCHKA PRESENTS ‘WHAT IF’ (d)
BRDCST presents the Belgian premiere of ‘What IF’, Hauschka‘s most recently released album, a project with no less than three pianos, of which two electronic. German piano virtuoso Volker Bertellman – the brain behind Hauschka - is many things at the same time: composer and songwriter, but also experimental musician and devoutly impassioned about ‘the art’ of ‘prepared piano‘. This technique involves the pianist experimenting with various objects – from pieces of paper to wine corks, ping-pong balls and drumsticks – on the piano strings. Must see!

ECHO COLLECTIVE PLAYS ‘AMNESIAC’ (RADIOHEAD)
BRDCST also presents the world premiere of Echo Collective plays ‘Amnesiac’ (Radiohead). Basically: the result of a commissioned work whereby AB requested that the string quartet from A Winged Victory For The Sullen make ‘Amnesiac’ (from 2001) – the little brother of the contrary ‘Kid A’ – sound as if it were a classical masterpiece.

The classically schooled Echo Collective has laid down a fine track record in a relatively short period of time. In ’16 they appeared twice on stage at London’s Barbican (with both Stars of The Lid and Jóhann Jóhannsson), and on stage at AB they served as string ensemble to Blixa Bargeld (Einstürzende Neubauten) – who had noted that he found the ensemble to be fantastic. At the request of AB, Echo Collective also reworked Burzum’s concept album ‘Dauði Baldrs’ in ’15. Basically: one of the two dark ambient albums that Norwegian black metal legend Varg Vikernes recorded during his more than 15-year incarceration. Focus Knack described this event as ‘a majestic concert’.

By means of a concert residence in Huis 23 – that resulted in four concerts – the audience could closely follow the evolution of ‘the shaping of …’. During BRDCST, Echo Collective will play the album in its entirety for the first time. Hearing it will give you the shivers. Thom Yorke, you’ll be there too, won’t you?

Echo Collective

Response

Echo Collective could have been great with a little more practice and a lot less amplification. What's the point of making these transcriptions if you're just going to make it sound like a rock band?
Hauschka was okay, but I probably would have liked him better without the electronics and the player pianos.